Open Minded
by Sazuka57
Summary: A raging Undyne is calmed by Gerson, who reminds her that death isn't the only thing that can take away one's soul.


**Open Minded**

Undyne was _pissed._

She was so angry that she punched the head clean off the dummy a multitude of times. The spirit inside it was just as angry as she was, and they were both angry for the same reason.

The human.

That tiny, harmless human with their kindness _shtick_ that neither of them believed. Their stupid smile and their running away from fights and hugging everyone. That human that stood in the way of all of the monsters' hopes and dreams. That human that ran back to help the Monster Kid, even though Undyne was ready to skewer them. That human that only defended against Undyne's attacks and ran away the second she stopped attacking.

That human that saved her life when she overheated at the bridge in Hotlands.

That human that Papyrus wanted to bring over.

Undyne snarled and punched the dummy harder, but to no avail. Her anger wouldn't leave her, and it wouldn't let her think rationally. The piano didn't do her much good either, as she tried it earlier. She yelled and hit the dummy one last time before tearing herself away. She stomped away from her house and towards the village, furiously hoping that a walk would cool her rage.

She didn't know or care about which direction she was walking, so long as she walked. The townspeople could see how angry she was, and they all jumped out of her way. She kept walking, but her anger refused to stop boiling, and, when she finally had enough, she slammed her fist into the nearest wall and howled death and destruction.

"What's with all that racket out there?" She heard a familiar voice. Old man Gerson walked out of his store as slow as can be, looking as jolly as ever. It made Undyne want to punch the wall again.

"Hey, it's you!" Gerson greeted her happily.

"How are you so happy when there's a human around?" Snarled Undyne.

"That cute kid?" Gerson laughed, "Best customer I've had in a while."

"They're _human_!"

"So?"

Undyne was so angry that she can't speak for a few moments. Was he being _serious_?

"They're—they're _human_!" She stated, "They need to _die_!"

"Do they really?" Gerson asked, amused.

" ** _Yes!_** " Undyne screamed at him, "They _have_ to die! Then we can be _free_!"

"At what cost?" The happy expression disappeared from Gerson's face very suddenly and was replaced with a haunted, tired look. It took Undyne completely by surprise, and replaced all of her anger with apprehension. She had only seen that look once before, and it was directed at the King.

"W-what?"

"What, what, Undyne?" asked Gerson seriously, "what's the cost going to be to get that last human soul? _Your_ soul?"

"Why would it cost my soul?" She asked, trying to be fierce, but her voice faltered.

"Because you're killing an innocent, Undyne," he explained, "you might think you're killing the enemy, but what you're actually killing is a small, tiny, terrified kid."

"They're _human_."

"They're a _child_. A kid. You were about that age when you started following me around."

"Yeah, but—but you _killed_ one!" Undyne's fierceness returned now that she could argue back, "you're Gerson, the Hammer of Justice! The justice for monsters! You got that name by killing a human!"

"Nah, I got it for catching a monster killer—and no, Undyne, it wasn't the human," Gerson looked tired now; miserable. He looked more his age than Undyne had ever seen him look. "The human that I killed. They were a little thing, with big glasses and a small notebook and two broken pencils and a pen that was almost out of ink. They couldn't talk, did you know that? They had to write everything down so they could communicate."

The old turtle looked down at his hands, "I didn't know that. I cornered the kid just outside of town. They were crying and shaking, looking at me and then down at the notebook. They didn't stop writing the whole time. I got so _angry_ that I was being ignored."

He looked hard at Undyne. He looked right into her eyes as he spoke, "I drowned that kid. Grabbed their head and put it under water. Held it there 'til they stopped moving, then took their soul and body to Asgore. Stupid Asgore and his stupid war and his stupid orders.

"I picked up the notebook on my way back, and it was almost full. Wanna know what was written in it, Undyne? Every nice word you can think of. Every compliment to every monster. And that last page was them begging me not to kill them. Begging me for mercy. Mercy. _Mercy_ , Undyne."

Undyne was speechless. She had always thought that Gerson's killing of the human was what had made him a hero, but now she realized that he deeply regretted it, and that it haunted him and made him miserable.

"Don't kill the kid if you don't have to, Undyne," He told her with a tired look and a deep frown on his face, "They acted like a really good kid. You should give them a chance."

"A _chance_?" Undyne asked, "A chance to do what?"

"Whatever they can do. Whatever they want to do. Don't let that dust be on your hands."

Undyne was quiet for a long moment, processing what Gerson had said to her.

"Papyrus wants me and the human to hang out," She confessed quietly. This brought Gerson back to his old self, and he let out a hearty laugh.

"Wahahaha! That sounds like a great idea! Get to know them!"

"I—I _can't_!" Undyne scrunched her face in displeasure, "They're supposed to be everything I stand against!"

"Isn't that the point of hanging out? Find out if they're _really_ everything you stand against, or if they're just a dumb, well behaved kid that aren't a threat to anyone!"

"Yeah," Undyne took a deep breath and rand her hand over her head, "yeah, okay. I. I can do that. I think."

"Well, Undyne, if you really can't do it, then take it as an order from your old mentor!" He laughed, "Now get! You're scaring away all my customers! Shoo!"

Undyne allowed herself to be shooed away, and walked back to her home, feeling more than a little out of her depth. She took a deep breath and sighed when her home came into view. She could do this. All she had to do was be a good host, and she knew all the rules for that. She couldn't help but feel nervous, though, and decided to spend some time on the piano.

She hoped that Papyrus knew what he was doing, she thought as she sat down in front of the piano. Then again, that bonehead was a good judge of character, even if he didn't know it. If the human was kind enough that he wanted to befriend them, then, that meant they weren't all that bad, right?

…. _Right_.

She made up her mind and played her piano with angry resolve. She was going to do her best to get to know that human…

…Even if it killed them.


End file.
